Repository: California State University, Dominguez Hills
Archives and Special Collections

Archives & Special Collection

University Library, Room G-145

1000 E. Victoria Street

Carson, California 90747

Phone: (310) 243-3013

URL: http://www.csudh.edu/archives/csudh/index.html

Abstract:
This collection consists of two sketchbooks and eight watercolor paintings by R. (Robert) Bruce
Urmston, artist. The majority of art in the two sketchbooks depicts his journey around Quebec,
mainly by ship, focusing on places such as the Falls of Montmorency and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The drawings and paintings in the sketchbooks are varied in content, mostly showing the view
of passing harbors, but also giving a few glimpses of people and places on the ship itself.
The majority of the eight watercolor paintings illustrate places Urmston visited in California
in the 1890s and 1900s, including Mount San Antonio, Chino, and Riverside. One painting from
1883 depicts the town of Douglas, Manitoba, Canada.

Language: Collection material is in English

Administration Information

Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Publication Rights

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred Citation

[Title of item], R. BRUCE URMSTON COLLECTION, Courtesy of the Department of Archives and Special Collections. University Library.
California State University, Dominguez Hills

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated by Rex Heuschkel to Archives and Special
Collections at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Processing Information

Materials were processed and arranged by Marie Beckermann in 2011.

Biography

R. (Robert) Bruce Urmston (1863-1950) was born in Hampshire, England to Henry Brabazon
Urmston and Harriet Hughes Hughes, according to a family tree found on Ancestry.com. Urmston
was married first to a woman named Esther and later to a woman by the name of Ellla, according
to that family tree. While little is known about his life back in England, we know that
Urmston came to North America by the 1880s and spent a number of years traveling and
documenting his travels in sketches and watercolors. In 1882, Urmston travelled by ship to the
Canadian city of Quebec, a trip similar to the one he took along the St. Lawrence Seaway
between 1886 and 1889. After spending some time in Douglas, Manitoba in 1893, Urmston headed
to California in 1894. In March of 1894, Urmston applied for US citizenship in a Los Angeles
county court. It appears that he spent a number of years in the Los Angeles/Riverside area
before moving to northern California, where he passed away in 1950.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of two small sketchbooks containing sketches and watercolor
paintings, as well as eight individual watercolors painted by R. Bruce Urmston during his
travels to Canada and California.

His sketchbook from 1882 details a voyage Urmston took by ship to Quebec, Canada. The
majority of these images are of boats in bays or harbors. While there are a number of
interesting images, some highlights of this sketchbook are: a two-page watercolor and pencil
image looking East from Quebec at the Isle of Orleans, a full-page watercolor painting shows
the Falls of Montmorency in the distance beyond some ships, a two-page panoramic watercolor
illustrates a yacht race in the Isle of Wight, and a single page watercolor of an unnamed
cathedral.

The second sketchbook depicts Urmston's Canadian trip from 1886-1889. Some highlights of
this sketchbook consist of: a two-page watercolor depicts the coastline of Lac Morrille, Quebec,
a two-page watercolor of the harbor at Halifax, Nova Scotia, a two-page watercolor of a train
wreck and fire in the snow dated March 29th, and a two-page watercolor of a winter scene where
an oxen pulls logs.

The eight paintings consist of single page images that have captions and notes written on
the back of each. The earliest painting (1893) is also the largest, depicting the town of
Douglas, Manitoba. Captions point out places like Tom Evoy’s Boarding House and Stable, Lake of
the Woods Milling Co, and the Mahon and Ross General Store. These notes also mention the elevator
capacities of various buildings. Two paintings labeled "No. 1" and "No. 2" illustrate areas
around Riverside, looking at Mount San Antonio (Old Baldy) and the area near the Chino sugar
factory in 1894. There are several paintings of Riverside showing orange groves and fields in
1903, as well as one of a train travelling through a valley captioned with "Casa Blanca Packing
houses. Depot Santa Fe RR." Other paintings depict Urmston's 1910 trek to Northern California to
the Mad River Valley, near Eureka in Humbolt County.

Arrangement

Arranged in three series:

Series I. Sketchbook 1, 1882

Series II. Sketchbook 2, 1886-1889

Series III. Watercolor Images, 1893-1912, no date

Indexing Terms

Subjects

Canada--In art.

Douglas (Manitoba)--In art.

Mad River Valley (Calif.)--In art.

Nova Scotia--In art.

Quebec--In art.

Riverside County (Calif.)--History--Pictorial works.

Saint Lawrence Seaway--In art.

Watercolors--1850-1900.

Watercolors--1890-1920.

Container List

Series 1.
Sketchbook 1, 1882

Physical Description: 0.25 linear feet 1/2 box

Scope and Content Note

Urmston's water voyage to Quebec. Sketchbook size: 7.25" x 5.5"

Box 1, Folder 1

Sketchbook1, 1882

Series 2.
Sketchbook 2, 1886-1889

Physical Description: 0.25 linear feet 1/2 box

Scope and Content Note

More of Urmston's Canadian journeys by ship. Sketchbook size: 5.25" x 3.75"

Box 1, Folder 2

Sketchbook 2, 1886-1889

Series 3.
Watercolor Images, 1893-1912

Physical Description: 1 folder

Scope and Content Note

Eight seperate watercolor paintings of various sizes, mostly of Riverside.